The exam is part of a new effort to standardize qualifications
for digital ad sales. Only people who pass the exam — which also
includes non-math questions about the business — qualify for
jobs.

Here are the questions:

1) There are 14 million emails sent to W 35-54. The open rate is
20% and click through rate is 20%. How many people landed on
brand.com?

A. 5,600

B. 56,000

C. 560,000

D. 5,600,000

2) A client was sold a program for 40 million impressions. At the
end of the campaign, the client’s ad server shows a delivery of
21 million impressions. The vendor’s ad server shows 41 million
ads served. What is the BEST practice in resolving the
discrepancy?

As soon as I learned that IAB was creating a solid professional
benchmark for digital media sales, I knew that my sales force
would meet that challenge. The interactive landscape is too
competitive—and too complex—not to make sure that your executives
are fully equipped with the intricate knowledge base and skill
sets they need in order to thrive.

The exam study
guide lists a table of 21 calculations that all digital sales
execs need to know in order to pass the test, including:
percentage problems, basic algebra, and, well, using a
calculator. Technically, everything being tested should fall
under the category of basic math or standard industry equations,
such as calculating cost per thousand (CPM).

But, here's the thing -- you never find out your
score. All you get is a pass/fail with no insight into
how you did. An IAB spokesperson explained to Business Insider in an email,
"announcing the actual passing score would lead to candidates
asking for their specific numerical score, which in turn would
create a perception that a particular (passing) score is better
than another. This certification exam is meant to test mastery of
knowledge and not meant to compare one person’s score against
another’s."